The Traveling Twins
by blindbat1192
Summary: Circus AU. Pacifica becomes intrigued by the Mystery Twins of a traveling circus, and ends up joining them to escape her home life and get closer to a certain pine tree.
1. Chapter 1

**This story takes place in an AU where Dipper and Mabel are part of a traveling circus. They still live in Piedmont, but they travel a lot, obviously. I don't own anyone except Daz, and even then he'll be more of a minor character than anything else. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was Pacifica's first time at the circus. She had never actually been to one before, it just wasn't refined enough for the Northwests. Ironic, since a large part of the family fortune came from their mud flaps business. But no matter, Pacifica was there to enjoy the show, which hopefully would be more than just about what she can enjoy in town already. She had her own seat reserved way up on the balcony, even though most circus-goers knew the best seats were in the front where the action could be seen up close and personal. But she knew, after the first act, she would not want to have been soaked by the water balloons the clowns tossed around. Nor would she want to be close enough to smell the elephants. Especially since one of them left a "surprise" as it left the stage. All in all, it was an okay show for her, but nothing extraordinary.

Until the final act.

The flamboyant ringmaster, who tried too hard to be like local legend Lil' Gideon (he had the same white hair, but it was too short to poof up), twirled his mustache and spoke loudly into the microphone.

"And now, for our final act, the only cannonball act to feature minors...THE MYSTERY TWINS!"

The audience applauded the two twins as they walked up to the stage where the cannon was already set. The girl, short with chubby cheeks and braces, wore an elegant jumpsuit with a skirt attached...all of which were sparkly pink, enough to blind someone were they to look directly into the sparkle. Tied to her neck was a cape with a shooting star on the back, with a rainbow attached to the star, and a pink and white helmet with a glass visor attached, as well as a spike on top and curved horns on the side. Her brown, curly hair was long enough to reach down to her exposed ankles.

The boy was far less elegant than his partner, simply wearing a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and Capri shorts, wearing a faded pine tree hat on his head, as well as silver, sparkly gloves on both his hands, like the kind Michael Jackson wore. Like the girl, his hair was curly and brown, but his was obviously only down to his neck, rather than to his ankles, which by the way were covered with mismatched socks, one orange and up to his knee and the other a blue ankle sock. The two could easily be related.

Everyone, even Pacifica, stared in awe as all the spotlights dimmed except the one focusing on the two performers. The girl casually hopped into the cannon and stuck her perky little head out, grinning widely as the boy pulled out a matchbox from his back pocket. Walking behind the cannon, Dipper lit the fuse, but did not move from his spot. Pacifica couldn't understand why he wouldn't simply dodge what would obviously a big explosion.

And that was when he impressed her. During the last second before the fuse met the gunpowder, he pulled out a chain of colored hankies, like the kind clowns would pull from their mouths. Only Dipper didn't wave it around; he flicked his fingers and each individual hankie unfolded itself, serving as a shield when the cannon blast finally came. All the soot was blocked by the shield while Mabel flew up to the top of the tent, wowing the entire crowd, Pacifica included. She soared across the massive tent and over the audience, landing perfectly on the top of a thin column, one of the many surrounding the circus. The audience, in their awe, gave a standing ovation for the twins, both bowing in their spots as the spotlights dimmed.

* * *

One other perk of being a Northwest was getting anything and anywhere you wanted, including backstage access to the circus. Which is exactly what Pacifica chose to do. She walked right past the doors of the other performers, going right up to the one with two different name tags; Dipper Pines and Mabel Pines. Giving they had the same surname, Pacifica figured out they were the Mystery Twins. She knocked on their door, expecting an immediate answer.

"But Dipper, if you take the ringmaster's job, who's gonna be my partner for the cannonball act? We're the Mystery _Twins_!"

" _If_ I take the job, Mabel, which is a _big_ if. Daz threatens to walk out all the time, but he never does."

"He looked serious this time, bro-bro," Mabel said, "He's never that serious about anything other than Sousa marches!"

Pacifica knocked harder this time, at which point the arguing stopped. She heard light footsteps skipping their way over, and the door opened showing the female twin gleefully opening the door.

"Oh! I didn't realize we were expecting fans!" Mabel exclaimed, grabbing the girl's hand without a proper introduction and dragging her in.

"Mabel, what did I tell you about doing that?" Dipper asked, "Last time you let a fan in here, he started smelling your hair."

"It was grape-flavored shampoo!"

"It was _creepy_."

"Well," Pacifica said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm a bit more refined than that."

"Right," Dipper replied sarcastically, "Because normal people totally get back here through normal means."

"I'm a Northwest!" Pacifica pouted, offended by Dipper's attitude, "I get in where I want!"

"Apparently you also get in where you're not _wanted_ ," Dipper replied.

"Oh, quit being such a grumpy-grump, Dippingsauce!" Mabel said.

"Dippingsauce?" asked Pacifica.

"Oh, just one of my nicknames for him," Mabel replied, "I'm Mabel, by the way!"

"Pacifica," she replied, "Um, I actually did enjoy the show."

"Aw, thanks Pacifica!" Mabel gushed.

"I certainly hope she did," came a voice from the corner, who was eventually revealed to be Daz the ringmaster, "Because it was the last one. I'm finished."

Both twins gasped.

"Daz, how did you even get in here?" asked Dipper.

"I got hidden doors in every room in this trailer, you think I wouldn't think of that?" Daz replied, as if it was the dumbest question ever, "But enough about me. I'm quitting the circus!"

"That's still more about you!" Mabel exclaimed, "And why would you quit on the circus?"

"What can I say, kiddo?" Daz replied, patting the girl on the head, "More glory in demon-hunting. If I'm lucky, I'll hunt down the infamous 'Beast with One Eye'. So Dipper, I'm expecting you to take good care of this rowdy crew in my absence."

"Yes!" Dipper exclaimed.

"No!" Mabel complained, "What's gonna happen to the Mystery Twins act?"

"What about her?" asked Daz, exuberantly pointing at Pacifica, "She's roughly your size, she could fit into a cannon!"

"Yeah, no," Pacifica replied, "There's no way I'd get myself killed by hopping into a giant cannon and being launched."

"And besides, that's _my_ job!" Mabel exclaimed, "Wait...what about launching _me_?"

"What?" asked Dipper.

"Yeah! It's the perfect spot now that Dipper's the ringmaster!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Me? In the circus?" asked Pacifica, "Getting covered in smoke and soot? Not too appealing."

"Wha-hey!" Dipper exclaimed, "Seriously? That was _my_ job! You can't just give it away to some rookie just because I'm moving up."

Seeing how annoyed Dipper was with this would ordinarily piss off the Northwest girl. But the fact that he seemed to get so ruffled over the idea of her taking over his job gave her a new insight...mixed with her regular home life, or lack thereof, she immediately reconsidered.

"...how soon can I start?"


	2. Chapter 2

It had been almost three years since that fateful day when Pacifica joined the traveling circus. It's also been that long since the traveling circus really traveled anywhere. They had more or less still been in Gravity Falls since they first performed there. And Mabel and Pacifica had time to perform their new act. And who better to introduce them than their ringmaster Dipper? The crowd roared in applause as Dipper came out to introduce the final act.

"And now for our final act!" Dipper exclaimed in the microphone, "The lovely ladies of cannonball fame! The intrepid...Pony Sisters? Mabel!"

"It's a perfect name!" she cried from the darkness.

"Anyway...the Dynamic Duo!" Dipper exclaimed.

The crowd once again roared in applause, not noticing the mild annoyance on the twins' faces. Dipper thought 'Pony Sisters' was too cutesy and inaccurate of a name for a cannonball act, while Mabel thought 'Dynamic Duo' was lame and too generic. In any case, it didn't matter, because the crowd ate the act up whenever it was on, especially due to the person replacing Dipper once he became ringmaster...

Two silhouettes rose from the platform towards the cannon as the lights slowly came back onto them, revealing them to be Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest. Mabel had more or less kept her attire the same in the three years that passed since they first came to Gravity Falls. Pacifica, on the other hand, wore an elegant sea-foam dress that barely covered her collarbone and had a slit down the left side. Despite joining the circus, she still somewhat kept to her family name, having the NW initials on both the tip of her heels and on the end of her cigarette holder. Which was something else she took up once she joined the circus. She made lighting the cannon a bit more intriguing by using a lit cigar to ignite the fuse that would blast Mabel.

Mabel gleefully hopped into the cannon with Pacifica standing behind it, holder in hand. Once Mabel gave her signature thumbs up, Pacifica delicately lowered the holder so that the heat of the cigar lit the fuse, immediately starting the countdown. As the fans reached zero, the cannon exploded, shooting Mabel out and sending much of the smoky debris back onto Pacifica, covering her in soot. Fans watched in awe as Mabel bounced off of the soft roof of the tent and perfectly landed with both feet on the edge of the platform. Mabel bowed as the audience cheered and applauded the circus' most popular attraction.

"Thanks for coming, everyone!" Dipper exclaimed as the audience gave one final round of applause, "Goodnight, Gravity Falls!"

* * *

"Whew," Dipper said, taking off his coat while walking through the now-empty tent, "That really takes something out of you."

"I'll say, Dippingsauce!" Mabel exclaimed, her head sticking out from the cannon, "That much excitement makes me crash!"

"Mabel, you really have to just lay around in the cannon when we're not performing?" asked Dipper.

"Only on days that end in 'y', bro-bro," Mabel replied cheerfully.

"I'm surprised you're not used to this, Dipper," came a feminine voice from behind.

He should have known it was _her_. Three years of the same act and he could still smell smoke and gunpowder whenever she came by. Pacifica held her cigarette holder in one hand and used the other to hold both her namesake heels. She knew what ruffled Dipper's feathers, and it made her job more fun when she did.

"You know your sister's antics better than I do," Pacifica said, putting down her heels and pulling out a cigar.

"Not lately, I wouldn't," Dipper replied, "You two have been scheming your new act for days."

"Poor, poor Dipper," she replied, blowing smoke hearts in his direction, "Worried she's stealing all my attention?"

"If anything, _she's_ being robbed of _hers_ ," Dipper replied.

Mabel darted her eyes back and forth between the two with a wide grin on her face. After enough bickering, Mabel did what she does best...open her mouth at the worst possible times.

"Get a room, you two!" Mabel exclaimed.

"M-Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed, "Quit joking around!"

"Who says I'm joking?" asked Mabel.

"Mabel..." Pacifica groaned.

"Aren't you the one always asking about him? 'Where's Dipper, Mabel? How's my hair, Mabel? Does he like..."

Mabel never finished. In a desperate attempt to shut her up, Pacifica used her cigar to light the fuse to the cannon, which Mabel happened to be sitting in. In a matter of seconds, she was launched out of the cannon, leaving a twinkle in the sky.

"How many times are you going to do that?" Dipper asked.

Mabel, still flying through the air, smiled knowingly, realizing they needed a gentle nudge in the right direction.

"This gives me an idea..."

* * *

"Is there a reason for this, Mabel?" asked Dipper.

At the moment, he and Pacifica were both squeezed together inside the cannon. Needless to say, it was a tight fit. It was only big enough to fit one person, namely Mabel. Though both Dipper and Pacifica were relatively petite, having both of them in the cannon made them feel cramped.

"You said you needed alone, time, right?" asked Mabel.

"Uh, yeah..." Dipper replied nervously.

"And Pacifica, you said you needed some alone time too, right?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah, key word being _alone_ ," Pacifica remarked.

"Well I figured, since the two of you need alone time, why not have alone time together?!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Mabel," Dipper groaned, "That defeats the whole purpose of..."

"TOOLATEHAVEAGOODFLIGHT!" Mabel exclaimed, holding the fuse to Pacifica's cigarette.

It took long enough for both of them to realize it, but more often than not, Mabel was quite crazy. She did crazy things before, such as eating pizza topped with pudding or stuffing her mouth full of unlit fireworks, but this took the metaphorical cake.

"Motherf..."

Whatever Pacifica was going to say, it was blocked out by the sound of the cannon shooting them into the sky. Mabel was covered in soot as she watched the two lovebirds twinkle in the sky. But unlike Pacifica, she was not used to the smoke and gunpowder, let alone being covered in soot. She was always the one flying out of the cannon, not lighting it, so it didn't take long for her to start coughing up whatever blew in her general direction.

Pacifica and Dipper, meanwhile, were flying straight into something that they could barely see, but it looked like a giant mouth. Dipper probably would have been able to recognize it had they not already flown inside. They bumped against the back of its throat, just barely missing the uvula, before sliding down the slimy, constricted throat before landing at the bottom of its stomach. To Dipper's surprise, the stomach acid was not burning them. There was a good chance this creature was somewhere in the Journals. In fact, the acid looked (and felt) more like water. The only reason he knew this, of course, was because he could see where he was standing. And the only reason he could see was because Pacifica had lit her cigar inside the literal belly of the beast.

"Seriously?" asked Dipper, "You're not at _all_ worried about lighting us up?"

"We haven't exploded so far, have we?" asked Pacifica.

"Huh...fair enough," Dipper replied, "Sooo...what exactly did Mabel mean by asking about me?"

"Jeez," Pacifica sighed, "She never can keep her mouth shut."

"That doesn't answer the question," Dipper replied, "Don't think I haven't noticed either."

"You haven't noticed a damn thing for the three years we've known each other!" Pacifica exclaimed.

" _Still_ not answering my..."

"Okay, so maybe I like teasing you a little bit just because it's cute, okay?" Pacifica said.

"It's...what do you mean 'it's cute'?" he asked.

"... _you're_ cute," Pacifica mumbled.

"W-What?" asked Dipper.

"You never heard that if someone teases you, it means they like you?" she asked.

"Uh, no," Dipper asked, "If they tease you, they're crappy people who aren't worth your time."

Pacifica dejectedly looked away from him after hearing that.

"That's...not _always_ true, Dipper," she said.

"You mean you OH. MY. GOD," Dipper exclaimed, "Is THAT what Mabel meant?

...maybe?" Pacifica asked shyly.

"Holy moley," Dipper said, "You're not kidding?"

"How many times do I gotta repeat it?" Pacifica asked, "I like you!"

"W-Wow," Dipper said, "Sorry, I just...I never expected that from you. Um, if that's the case, maybe..."

Before Dipper could finish his sentence, the aura suddenly changed, and not just their sudden feelings. The greenish hue of the monster's stomach suddenly became a dark, orange red, much like fire. Probably because that was what suddenly broke out. The spark from Pacifica's cigar had reacted with the methane inside the creature's stomach. Neither had time to react as they had suddenly gone flying, the creature going down in a fiery explosion and the two youngsters soaring into the sky.

* * *

Dipper and Pacifica could not look more exhausted as they walked back inside the circus tent, and to add insult to injury, Mabel was not only still sitting inside the cannon, but with a wide grin on her face, much like the one she had when they last saw her.

"You have your fun?" Dipper asked.

"That's what _I_ should be asking _you_!" Mabel exclaimed, "So what happened?"

"What do you _think_ happened?" asked Dipper, "After you blasted us into the middle of nowhere..."

"Oooh, sounds romantic already!" Mabel squealed, "Did you two hold hands along a river of rainbows? Did you kiss under the moonlight? Did you tell her about that birthmark you have under your..."

Pow went the cannon, sending Mabel flying. Her excited screams quickly vanished as she left a twinkle in the sky.

"Huh?" Dipper wondered aloud.

"Ahem..."

Dipper turned and saw Pacifica standing behind the cannon, doing what she does best...lighting the cannon. She leaned seductively against the back of the cannon, holding the tip of her cigarette holder to where the fuse was. She smiled widely, showing off her pearly whites, and winked at Dipper knowingly.

"Maybe a little more alone time wouldn't hurt," she told him.

Feeling the positive vibes between the happy couple, Mabel grinned even as she flew right to where, ironically enough, the monster had been previously blown up.

"MATCH MADE!"


End file.
